I ran the half marathon at the Coastal Delaware Running Festival in April 2022. Overall, it was a great experience and I would recommend the race to anyone else looking for a decent spring race.

The course is flat. It starts on the boardwalk, runs through the state park, and then ends on the boardwalk. About half of the race is on dirt and gravel trails through the park, so it may be a tiny bit slower than a paved course.

But what you lose in speed you gain in scenery and views. I love trail running, so running through the park was great. It had some of the elements of trails without the hills or technical footing. The trees also offered some shade.

The start and stop at the boardwalk offered a good place for spectators to hangout. The only downside is that the rest of the course was fairly quiet. There were a few spectators along the way, but outside the aid stations it was pretty quiet. Aid stations were frequent and well organized, and gels were available halfway through the race.

The expo was fairly basic. Nothing exceptional. Swag included a tee shirt and a pint glass. The tee shirt is cotton, so while it is comfortable I'm unlikely to use it to run in.

The finish line celebration was great, though. Included with your race bib is entrance to a party at Grotto pizza with free beer and pizza. This lasted throughout the afternoon, so I had time to go back to my hotel, get cleaned up, check out, and then hit up the party. I had to pay extra for my wife to attend, but it was well worth the $30 for her admission.

One of the big highlights of the race was also getting to spend time in Rehobeth Beach. It's a great little shore town, and there was plenty for us to do on Saturday. It made for a fun weekend getaway without being an extravagant trip.